Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely is considered as one of the fathers of op-art. Born in 1906, he had a passion for art. Painter Cezanne was his favorite artist, and as he grew older, his talent for art grew as well. At first, he tried to take up a medical career. After noticing that it was not working out too well, he decided to model his childhood artist fave and started working on various artworks, eventually developing his own style, later known as op-art. He continued to work on his pieces until he died in Paris, 1997.
Bridget Riley
Fans of op-art consider Bridget Riley to be the mother of op-art, further developing optical art from Victor Vasarely's style and approach. She was born in 1931 in Norwood. Her father, a printer, had to move because of work, and so did the family. They ended up in Lincolnshire, but soon relocated to Cornwall. She grew up in a free childood, and had already begun painting and drawing. She took this up as her main career until her father had been injured in a car accident. For awhile she was unable to work on art, but in 1958 she took it up again and started using the op-art style to create new things. She was very succesful, and is still alive today.
Josef Albers
Josef Albers, born in Bottrop, Germany in 1888, he spent a few years teaching children about "everything", later becoming an art teacher. After being an art teacher for a few months, he developed into a printmaker and figurative artist. He enrolled in a school that taught about this kind of art, and continued his line in art. He taught in Yale for some time, and after that spent his time designing and making op-art. He integrated color into his art, and used it and his prior knowledge to create a series of artworks known as "Homage to the Square". He continued his works and died in the 1970's.
Richard Anuskiewicz
Richard was considered the "American new wizard" of optical -art, and was not well-known but was important in the further development of op-art. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1930, Richard enjoyed art at an early age, and was encouraged by his father. At the school he ended up at, his passion for art developed and grew, and he eventually was able to draw for seven hours straight. When he was older, he went to the Cleveland Institution of Art where he found and became interested in op-art. He graduated and went to Yale and, interestingly enough, was taught by Josef Albers for some time. He learned about many things from Albers, and used this knowledge to create many artworks. He still is alive today, creating new paintings.
Richard Allen
Born in 1933, Allen gre up in a rural environment, gaining little knowledge of art. However, at an early age he attempted a few works which failed. His father, who worked in the Ministry of Agriculture, sent Richard to The Institute of Agriculture, where he learned about key concepts to making optical-art. As he grew older, he attended the Bath Academy of Art, where he developed his style and skill more. In later years he taught at the Croydon College of Art while creating op-art. As he continued to work, he was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, and made little progress with his work because of the symtoms. He died in Febuary, 1999.